Interest
Artist Apologizes, Deletes Chibi Maruko-chan Dōjinshi of Maruko as Drug Addict
posted on by Kim Morrissy
YouTube video maker and manga artist Gachi Muchi Pants tweeted on Monday that he has deleted several tweets featuring his fan creative work after "receiving a warning from the official side." He also apologized for the "excessiveness" of the content.
The dōjinshi was titled Shabu Maruko-chan (the word shabu is Japanese slang for illicit stimulant drugs). According to the now deleted tweets, the story followed followed an adult Maruko becoming addicted to drugs. Her drug seller was a former classmate. The story was divisive at the time of its posting because its inspiration was a beloved children's anime that obviously has no mention of such adult themes.
The reactions to Gachi Muchi Pants' tweet have also been divided. Some argued that the backlash was only natural for a fan work that distorts the original series to such an extent. Others remarked that they thought the idea behind the manga was entertaining.
The original Chibi Maruko-chan manga inspired a television anime that is almost consistently the #3 rated television anime series after Sazae-san and Detective Conan. (Chibi Maruko-chan airs on Fuji TV on Sundays at 6:00 p.m., before Sazae-san at 6:30 p.m.) The first anime series ran from 1990 to 1992, and the ongoing second series premiered in 1995.
The manga's creator Momoko Sakura passed away due to breast cancer at the age of 53 in August 2018. She serialized the manga in Shueisha's Ribon magazine from 1986 to 1996. The comedy manga, which follows the everyday life of a third-grade schoolgirl, has about 32 million copies in print. Sakura launched a four-panel version in a Japanese newspaper in 2007, and she ended that version in 2011.
The Chibi Maruko-chan manga is getting new chapters drawn by Sakura Production, which is staffed by long-time assistants of Sakura. The manga is running irregularly in Ribon.
